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RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 39, 23 October 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
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HEADLINES:
* EXECUTIVE BRANCH SEEKS TO EXTEND CONTROL AS LOCAL ELECTIONS NEAR
* EARLY DISQUALIFICATIONS FROM ASSEMBLY OF EXPERTS RACE
* CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTIONS
* TEHRAN GETS NEW POLICE CHIEF
* LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS CLOTHING
* HEALTH MINISTER SAYS TENS OF THOUSANDS MIGHT BE HIV-INFECTED
* NEW REFORMIST DAILY PUBLISHED...
* ...AND SUSPENDED AFTER GOVERNMENT WARNING
* STUDENTS PROTEST RESTRICTIONS
* RUNAWAY GIRLS A GROWING PROBLEM
* IRAN TOPS AGENDA AT ISRAEL-RUSSIA SUMMIT
* TEHRAN PREDICTS IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS
* 'JERUSALEM DAY' COMMEMORATED IN IRAN
* IRAN INVESTS HEAVILY IN LEBANESE RECONSTRUCTION
* BAKU POLICE DISPERSE ANTI-IRANIAN DEMONSTRATION
* NORWEGIAN COMPANY AGREES TO PAY FINE FOR BRIBING IRANIAN
****************************************** ******************
EXECUTIVE BRANCH SEEKS TO EXTEND CONTROL AS LOCAL ELECTIONS NEAR.
Iranian voters were enthusiastic about the country's first
local-council elections almost eight years ago, but lower voter
turnout in 2003 suggested waning interest. Disappointment arguably
has stemmed from unmet expectations as limited powers and access to
resources hampered the councils' work.
Recent steps by Iran's executive branch to control who
runs for the councils -- combined with previous efforts to further
curb their powers -- suggest that voter participation might continue
to fall despite their political significance.
Registration for prospective candidates for December's
third round of council elections began on October 16 and will
continue until October 22.
The races are not expected to attract the prominent names
associated with national races -- such as the legislature or the
Assembly of Experts. Nevertheless, some of those who have registered
have achieved a modicum of recognition, including Mujtaba Alai,
deputy head of the presidential protocol office, and Tehran police
chief Morteza Talai, reported by Baztab on October 17 and the Iranian
Students News Agency (ISNA) on October 9.
The Interior Ministry conducts all the country's
elections and, in most cases, it is the 12-member Guardians Council
that vets prospective candidates and has supervisory powers. But it
is the legislature that has supervisory and vetting powers in the
municipal-council elections. This has previously given candidates who
might be rejected on factional grounds a much better chance of
qualifying.
It became increasingly clear by late September, when the
Central Committee for Monitoring Council Elections began its
activities, that this firewall was crumbling. The central committee
comprised five fundamentalist legislators: Tehran's Hussein
Fadai, Islamabad-i Gharb's Heshmatollah Falahat-Pisheh,
Malekan's Salman Khodadadi, Karaj's Rashid Jalali-Jafari, and
Kerman's Mohammad Ali Movahedi. It selected 90 people from 27
provinces to monitor the elections, and nearly all of them were
fundamentalists.
The committee claimed that it consulted with parliamentarians
about their constituencies. But reformists said the choices were made
when the legislature was in recess, and they were ignored. One
lawmaker, Mohammad Reza Tabesh of Yazd Province, said he is the only
legislator from his province who is not on the provincial monitoring
committee, "Etemad-i Melli" reported on September 24.
Only three of the 90 were from the pro-reform faction. They
withdrew from the provincial monitoring committee a few days later,
objecting to what they feared would be a biased screening of
prospective candidates, "Etemad-i Melli" reported on September 26.
Limiting Local Autonomy
The municipal councils already have limited powers and
responsibilities. They deal with issues like construction permits,
garbage collection, and roadwork. The central government is
responsible for everything else -- such as education, electricity,
and the provision of water.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's administration tried to
reduce the powers even more through a new law on city and village
councils. Under the amended law, the councils would be subordinate to
the Interior Ministry and would require its approval before
performing many of their functions.
Councils also currently select mayors. But under the proposed
law, the Interior Ministry would essentially perform that function.
A member of the Tehran council, Hassan Bayadi, warned that
the objective of the new law is to eliminate the councils completely,
"Etemad" reported on May 23. Another legislator, Kazem Jalali, said
the provisions of the law would run counter to the constitution,
"Hambastegi" reported on June 1.
With roughly two months to go before the elections, it
appears that the law has been allowed to fade into the background.
Co-opting Provincial Institutions
President Ahmadinejad is doing other things that could weaken
existing provincial government institutions and create new ones that
are more closely connected to the executive branch. It is the
presidential administration -- through the Interior Ministry -- that
appoints provincial governors-general. On October 17, Ahmadinejad
issued a directive that linked every provincial office of the
Management and Planning Organization with the provincial
governor-general. The head of the Management and Planning
Organization, Farhad Rahbar, has objected to this development, and
the legislature declared its intention to review the plan for any
illegalities. If this measure is implemented, it will strengthen the
Interior Ministry's hold over provincial affairs.
Ahmadinejad's frequent trips to the provinces also serve
to undermine municipal councils and other local institutions. As his
staff collects citizens' written complaints and he deals with
their problems on a case-by-case basis, the president shows that he
can provide immediate relief and is a man of action. Already weakened
through legislation and without the financial resources of the
executive branch, the councils are stuck with the difficult task of
developing macro-policies that help entire communities, not just one
citizen.
A spokesman for the Executives of Construction Party, Hussein
Marashi, asked whether "the problems of our country [will] be solved
by turning the national government into a mobile provincial planning
council." He called that the administration's biggest
achievement. But Marashi added that Iran must be the only place in
the world where the central government takes on responsibilities that
normally fall under the purview of the provinces, "Etemad-i Melli"
reported on September 16.
Whence And Whither?
The concept of councils at the local level was enshrined in
the Iranian Constitution of 1979. But the first council elections did
not take place until 20 years later. Then-President Mohammad
Khatami's administration sought to decentralize the state
apparatus and increase public participation in political affairs and,
in general, it emphasized the significance of the councils.
Scholar Kian Tajbakhsh asserted at the August 2006 Conference
on Iranian Studies in London that the reformists viewed the councils
as civil-society organizations. But he noted that reformists did not
clarify their agenda, address legal ambiguities, distinguish
councils' responsibilities, or even place local institutions in
the broader context of an authoritarian state. Tajbakhsh said
"energy" for the local councils was closely connected with the wider,
national reform movement. When that movement faded, he argued, so did
local councils' momentum.
Public disillusionment with the councils appears to have led
to a sharp fall in voter turnout in 2003. The decline was most acute
in major cities like Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, and Tehran -- where
turnout was between 12 percent and 20 percent. At the same time,
reformists fared poorly in the big cities, although turnout in other
parts of the country was around 50 percent.
It would be reasonable to expect a continuing decline in
official turnout figures if people reacted unfavorably to
government-imposed restrictions. But three factors suggest it is too
early to make such a prediction. First, the government controls the
election process entirely, so outside observers will find it
difficult to detect fraud. Indeed, a number of prominent Iranians
remarked on the prevalence of fraud in the 2005 presidential
election.
Second, the holding of simultaneous elections -- for the
councils, the Assembly of Experts, and four parliamentary seats -- is
likely to increase overall turnout.
Finally, the government is basing its population estimates on
a 1996 census. The general manager of the Interior Ministry's
elections office, Ali Asqar Karandish, said that population changes
in big cities are far from clear, "Farhang-i Ashti" reported on
September 21.
Regardless of the final outcome, the Ahmadinejad
administration is likely to continue its effort to extend and
strengthen its control throughout the country. It has met some
resistance from the legislature -- even from conservative
parliamentarians -- but it has up to seven more years to keep trying.
(Bill Samii)
EARLY DISQUALIFICATIONS FROM ASSEMBLY OF EXPERTS RACE. Guardians
Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai announced on October 14 that
three people signed up twice as candidates for the Assembly of
Experts elections in mid-December, so the actual number of
prospective candidates is 492, state television reported. An initial
examination of credentials suggests that 60 people are in no way
educationally or professionally qualified to be candidates, Kadkhodai
added.
Individuals whose religious learning is questioned will have
the opportunity to take a written exam on October 27, and those who
pass the test will be invited for interviews, he said. Kadkhodai
explained that one need not be a cleric to stand in the election, as
long as the candidate attains the desired level of ijtihad (the
ability to interpret Islamic law).
Turning to the race itself, Kadkhodai said that campaigning
can begin once the names of candidates are published, and candidates
who are Friday prayer leaders cannot lead official congregations in
the two weeks immediately prior to the election date of December 15.
(Bill Samii)
CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTIONS. When registration
closed on October 13, 246 people had signed up as candidates in four
parliamentary by-elections in Iran slated for December 15, the
Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported on October 15. The
by-elections will be held for two seats in Tehran, one in the
southwestern city of Ahvaz, and one in the southeastern city of Bam.
(Bill Samii)
TEHRAN GETS NEW POLICE CHIEF. Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan has
been selected as the new police chief in Tehran, the Islamic Republic
News Agency (IRNA) reported on October 19, citing the daily "Seda-yi
Edalat." Radan served previously as a police chief in Khorasan Razavi
Province.
Radan succeeds Morteza Talai, who resigned recently. There
are conflicting reports about the resignation -- either he did so to
run as a candidate for upcoming local council elections or to protest
the violent arrest of a Tehran cleric and his supporters,
RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on October 16 (see "RFE/RL Iran
Report," October 16, 2006).
Fars news agency reported on October 9 that Talai resigned,
as required by the law, to become a candidate for municipal elections
in December. However, a letter cited by Radio Farda from a deputy
head of the Intelligence Ministry to the head of clerical affairs at
the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that was
reportedly published on October 15, states that Talai had threatened
to resign if the state acted against Ayatollah Hussein
Kazemeyni-Borujerdi, who differs with the regime over religious
affairs.
Separately, one of Kazemeyni-Borujerdi's followers, who
was arrested and then released on October 10, told Radio Farda on
October 16 that "we have no accurate reports of Mr. Borujerdi's
situation," though authorities have interrogated his supporters and
told them to shun the cleric. Muhaddaseh Saberi told Radio Farda that
"in the interrogations they presented Mr. Borujerdi as a corrupt
individual." (Bill Samii, Vahid Sepehri)
LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS CLOTHING. The Iranian legislature has begun
serious debate over a number of issues related to clothing, "Etemad"
reported on October 12. The topics range from a national dress code
to mandatory uniforms in the workplace to the protection of the
domestic clothing industry. "The parliament's view is that
fashion and clothing graduates and manufacturers and the private
sector should embark on the design and production of varied clothes
themselves with support from the government in the form of
subsidies," legislator Fatemeh Alia told "Etemad. This should be
based on the country's Islamic and ethnic identity, she added.
Alia said the presence of ethnic groups will contribute to diversity
and people can choose for themselves. Laleh Eftekhari, a
representative from Tehran, also stressed that homogeneity is not
being considered.
The legislature passed two articles of a bill relating to
fashion and clothing on October 10, "Jomhuri-yi Islami" reported the
next day. One article is aimed at discouraging people from adopting
foreign fashions that are incompatible with Iran's national and
Islamic culture and encouraging them to buy locally produced clothes
that are based on domestic patterns. Various ministries, state radio
and television, and designers and manufacturers' guilds will form
a committee to consider ways to accomplish that task. (Bill Samii)
HEALTH MINISTER SAYS TENS OF THOUSANDS MIGHT BE HIV-INFECTED. Kamran
Baqeri-Lankarani said in Tehran on October 15 that his ministry has
identified more than 13,000 Iranians as infected with HIV, the virus
that causes AIDS, but that the real figure for infections is likely
between 60,000-70,000 "in the worst-case scenario," IRNA reported. He
said AIDS is still a disease restricted to specific groups in the
country, but "if we do not act against it with care, it could become
a generalized disease." He said that even the highest estimate for
infections "is not so [high] compared to many neighboring countries."
He added that more state money is needed for HIV and flu-related
treatments in the country, amid the rising price of some
pharmaceutical products. (Vahid Sepehri)
NEW REFORMIST DAILY PUBLISHED... A new daily, "Ruzegar" (Times), was
published on October 16 and is seen as an unofficial successor to the
banned reformist daily "Sharq," which was closed on September 11,
Reuters and AFP reported. The daily's managing editor is Farzaneh
Kharqani, and members of the former "Sharq" staff are working on the
new daily, although they are "none of the well-known faces," Reuters
reported, citing Mohammad Atrianfar, a former member of the "Sharq"
policymaking board.
Separately, ILNA reported on October 16 that three
journalists were arrested "last week" at the offices of their
Kurdish-language weekly, "Rujheh Halat." It reported that agents with
a court order arrested Farhad Aminpur, Reza Alipur, and Saman
Suleimani, without specifying why they were arrested or where the
publication is based.
On October 17, Justice Minister Jamal Karimi-Rad assured ISNA
that the government is not trying to curb "critical" media but wants
them to observe the government's "conduct" and "generosity" and
"return to their true position and mission." He said unnamed domestic
media have been "unkind" to the Ahmadinejad government, and "some of
the opinions of government critics are baseless." (Vahid Sepehri)
....AND SUSPENDED AFTER GOVERNMENT WARNING. A new daily newspaper in
Iran has suspended its publication just three days into its print run
after the Islamic Culture and Guidance Ministry told it that it could
not cover political news. Many of the "Ruzgar" (Times) employees were
former contributors to a leading reformist daily, "Sharq," that
authorities shut down in September.
Officials' quick intervention has fueled suspicion that
they simply won't tolerate a moderate voice on Iranian
newsstands.
The ministry's warning came in a letter that said the
"Ruzgar" license does not include political coverage and thus
prohibits it from publishing political news.
In the face of that threat, its managers decided to suspend
publication after just three issues.
Iran's ILNA news agency excerpted the ministry's
letter on October 18 and reported that "Ruzgar" would begin appearing
without political coverage. But ILNA soon removed the story from its
website and said it should not be used.
A "Ruzgar" editor, Abdolreza Tajik, told AFP that the
decision to suspend publication was made after warnings to avoid
politics and to change the newspaper's format.
"Ruzgar" politics staffer Mohammad Atrianfar accused the
Culture Ministry of "tightening the noose [on] reformists." He said
that at least two other conservative papers with similar licenses,
"Hamshahri" and "Jam-i Jam," cover political events.Atrianfar headed
the policymaking committee of the now-defunct reformist daily
"Sharq," and he noted that authorities still have not announced legal
reasons for that newspaper's closure.
Beleaguered Existence
The "Ruzgar" launch had been characterized as the entry of a
moderate daily to a market that has witnessed many closures. More
than 100 reformist and moderate publications have been shut down by
Iranian authorities in recent years.
Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, a prominent journalist and former
editor of four banned dailies, is also a spokesman for the Society to
Defend Press Freedom. He tells RFE/RL that the targeting of "Ruzgar"
demonstrates that powerful conservatives will not tolerate criticism
or dissent.
"Our friends should have come to the conclusion by now that
[conservatives] are opposed to the intellectual current of
'Sharq' and 'Ruzgar' and not to their mastheads.
Conservatives are only satisfied with a single-voice media that is
led by the establishment, so they will fight any effort to bring
different voices to the media. One example is the fact that they
couldn't even tolerate the very moderate publications
'Sharq' and 'Ruzgar.'"
"Ruzgar" was launched as a 24-page color daily.
Representatives had insisted it was not meant to be a substitute for
"Sharq." But just weeks before its launch, a conservative daily
reported that "Sharq" was returning to publication under the new
title "Ruzgar."
Selective Enforcement
A moderate news website, roozna.ir, has cast doubt on the
ministry's claim, saying Iran's press law allows newspapers
with cultural and social content to publish two pages of political
news. Roozna.ir adds that "Ruzgar" appears to have been deprived of
that right.
Reza Moini is an Iran specialist with French media watchdog
Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He describes the Culture
Ministry's order against "Ruzgar" as an excuse to prevent
journalists from doing their work, and says it comes amid increasing
pressure on reporters.
"[On October 18] we said in a statement about three other
publications whose journalists have been harassed that the Islamic
republic uses all the possibilities and tools at its disposal to
prevent publications and journalists from expressing themselves
freely," Moini says. "[The "Ruzgar"] case is the same. The excuse
that the publication should not have political pages is really
laughable."
RSF notes that six journalists have been arrested in Iran in
recent weeks. It accuses Iranian authorities of shutting down media
that "do not defend the government's vision of the Islamic
revolution" and arresting journalists "without warrants and without
reason."
Chilling Stories
Moini tells RFE/RL that state pressure on journalists is
resulting in harassment and self-censorship.
"When they arrest a journalist and then put him under
interrogation and then free him on a heavy bail -- but he can be sent
back to prison at any time -- how can he work?" Moini asks. "There
isn't only self-censorship -- this is imposed censorship."
Iran's government denies that it censors the media and
says it welcomes criticism.
Officials have not yet reacted to the suspension of the
"Ruzgar" print run, and the daily's managers have not said
whether it will return.
The European Union roundly criticized Tehran as recently as
October 5 for closing newspapers and harassing journalists. (Golnaz
Esfandiari)
STUDENTS PROTEST RESTRICTIONS. Students from Tehran's Amir Kabir
University, formerly known as the Polytechnic, protested perceived
pressure on students and dissidents in Iran and the three-week
detention of Kayvan Ansari, a former member of the university's
Islamic Students Association, RFE/RL's Radio Farda and ISNA
reported on October 16 and 17. Protesters called for the release of
political and student prisoners, and the suspension of the Basij
association in the university, Radio Farda reported. Basijis are
members of a militia affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Corps.
A student identified only as Qaragozlu told ISNA on October
16 that "they may have damaged the buildings of the Islamic
association" of students, referring to unspecified agents, "and as
they say the...association has no headquarters; but if they want to
continue like this, we shall gather in the university and stop them.
This is the Polytechnic, and we will not let them do [whatever] they
like."
Former student Ahmad Batebi has returned to prison after a
short leave, his father told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on October 17,
adding that his son is unwell and "wasting away" in prison. Batebi
was jailed for participating in 1999 student demonstrations in
Tehran. His father said rights groups have done nothing to win his
release, and the judiciary has told the family that Batebi must
remain in prison for 15 years. "Our lives have been destroyed and my
son is wasting away...we are stuck in a place where nobody...is
accountable," he said.
Separately, a court in Zanjan, northwestern Iran, sentenced
former student Reza Abbasi to a year's imprisonment for allegedly
insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Radio Farda reported
on October 17. Activist Abdullah Momeni told the broadcaster that
Abbasi has been detained since late June on a temporary arrest
warrant for taking part in demonstrations by Iranian Azeri-speakers
(see "RFE/RL Iran Report," May 29, 2006). A
Tehran court has also fined former Yazd University student
Mohammad Reza Rahimi for insulting state officials and ordered that
he be given 30 lashes for insulting a Yazd University security guard
when he was a student there, ISNA reported on October 17.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on October 19 called on the Iranian
government to immediately cease restricting student activists'
attendance at universities, hrw.org reported. In a report titled
"Denying the Right to Education," HRW noted that the government has
barred 12 students, and that another 54 were allowed to resume going
to school only after pledging not to engage in political activities.
HRW asserted that the Ministry of Intelligence and Security is behind
the campaign, and in the last year the judiciary has given more than
20 students prison sentences. Another 32 students have been suspended
by their universities, and 10 student associations have been banned
or suspended.
As the repression of student activists continues, Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with top-grade students in Tehran
on October 17. He told them that while restlessness is a part of
student life, "politicization" is "not approved" among student
formations, ISNA reported. "Politicization and political games are
not approved, but an inclination for politics and to win the power of
political understanding and analysis is a...necessity among students
and universities," he said. He urged student formations "relying on
Islam and Islamic teachings" not to "weaken" each other.
Clearly, he said, "the enemy is investing on some student
currents, and America and Israel's espionage services are even
ready to help student formations affiliated with the masses and
left-wing currents, whose presence is now meaningless with the
collapse" of communist states. Western enemies, he said, are trying
"by all possible means and under various names like royalists and
others" to harm "genuine student currents," ISNA reported. (Vahid
Sepehri, Bill Samii)
RUNAWAY GIRLS A GROWING PROBLEM. Iranian newspapers have carried an
increasing number of reports about runaway girls over the last few
years, Radio Farda reported on October 19, and female police officers
are tasked with dealing with these girls in the environs of the
shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad. Many of the girls sleep in the open,
Radio Farda reported, and some have taken to prostitution. It was
reported that some girls as young as 9 years old have been found as
runaways. (Bill Samii)
IRAN TOPS AGENDA AT ISRAEL-RUSSIA SUMMIT. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran and a
variety of issues related to the Middle East on October 18,
international media reported. Olmert said that heading the agenda was
"everything connected to the Iranian problem, which bothers
everyone." He hailed Putin and recalled the promise Putin made last
year that Russia's relations in the Middle East will no longer be
one-sided. For his part, Putin said the relations between the two
countries are based on mutual trust. He added that "in recent years,
relations between the Russian Federation and Israel have acquired an
entirely new quality.... We have fundamentally changed our attitude
to our compatriots -- we think of them as our compatriots -- who
moved to Israel for permanent residence from Russia and the former
republics of the Soviet Union."
Olmert's hosts also included Defense Minister Sergei
Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said that Iran poses
no immediate threat. Israel is pushing for sanctions against Iran
over Tehran's nuclear programs while Russia opposes the move.
Olmert argued that "if the leader of such a country as Iran openly
states that he wants to destroy our country, we have no choice but to
prepare for a response." For his part, Putin said that "the situation
requires all parties to show responsibility and restraint. Only a
just and comprehensive settlement accepted by all peoples in the
region can be reliable and long-lasting."
Foreign Minister Lavrov said in Moscow on October 18 that "it
is necessary [for the international community] to act on Iran, but
that action should be in direct proportion to what is really
happening," RIA-Novosti reported. He added that "what is really
happening is what the IAEA reports to us. And the IAEA is not
reporting to us about the presence there of a threat to peace and
security."
Elsewhere, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak told
Interfax that Russia's position in the UN Security Council on
Iran will not be influenced by the U.S. sanctions against
Russia's main arms exporter, Rosoboroneksport, and the aircraft
manufacturer Sukhoi. He said that "these are two separate, serious
issues. We will tackle them separately." His remarks appeared to
contradict somewhat recent statements by Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly
Churkin linking the two issues. (Patrick Moore)
TEHRAN PREDICTS IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS. Expediency Council Secretary
Mohsen Rezai said in Tehran on October 16 that he considers the
imposition of "mild" sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program
"not unlikely" in the coming weeks, ISNA reported. But he added that
China, Russia, and "even Western states" might not enforce them. He
said the permanent members of the Security Council and Germany are
agreed on "some form of mild sanctions...like those approved for
North Korea, which does not include an oil embargo or foreign
exchange revenues." Sanctions, he said, would be "symbolic" and aimed
at maintaining U.S. prestige, since Iran has effectively pushed the
United States to a "dead-end" with its resistance. "I think
[sanctions] will not be successful," Rezai said, adding that they
would likely last but a few months. "A hesitant resolution will be
issued imposing sanctions...on the one hand, and insisting on the
continuation of talks on the other," ISNA reported. He said Iran has
withstood worse sanctions and would change its trading partners.
Kamal Daneshyar, the head of the parliament's Energy
Committee, said in the southwestern Ahvaz on October 16 that "oil
sanctions against Iran are like oil sanctions on consumer countries,"
ISNA reported. Iran would suffer, he admitted, but the sanctioning
countries "that are mostly consumer countries" would suffer "10 times
as much." He said if Iran's 2.5 million barrels of oil per day
are taken out of the global market, "it is true that Iran no longer
has oil revenues, but the price of oil will rise to $150 a barrel."
Iran, he said, could meet its own needs "through domestic production"
and would "guide society toward self-sufficiency."
EU foreign ministers met in Luxembourg on October 17 and were
reportedly ready to back the imposition of sanctions, described by
news agencies as mild and incremental, on Iran in response to its
refusal to end sensitive nuclear-fuel-making activities, Reuters
reported. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner
was quoted as saying that Iran must see that there is a united
international response to its contested program, although a Spanish
official said sanctions will be "gradual," as Iran remains an EU oil
supplier, Reuters reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on October 16
in Washington that the UN Security Council will "begin to work this
week on an Iran sanctions resolution," AFP reported. Rice said Iran
and North Korea are two countries "that violate their pledges to
respect the [Nuclear] Nonproliferation Treaty."
EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy
Javier Solana said in Luxembourg before the October 17 meeting that
the doors to talks with Iran remain open and there is "always hope"
that negotiations might resume, AFP reported.
EU foreign ministers stated in Luxemburg on October 17 that
they feel obliged to support incremental UN sanctions on Iran for its
refusal to curb its nuclear activities in line with Western demands,
agencies reported on October 17 and 18. Iran and the EU have been
talking for months as the EU has sought to persuade Iran to abandon
nuclear fuel-making activities -- which can also be used to make
nuclear bombs -- in return for economic incentives. In rejecting this
deal, Iran "leaves us no choice but to take the Security Council
route," Reuters quoted French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy
as saying. He proposed "gradual, reversible measures proportionate to
Iranian actions." EU officials have said they are not ruling out the
resumption of talks.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, immediately
reacted to the move and said the EU would lose, not Iran. Larijani
said in Tehran on October 18 that a UN Security Council resolution
against Iran would radicalize the situation and jeopardize Iranian
cooperation, Reuters reported. He said the "carrot-and-stick policy
is a failed policy." He told Mehr "if they want flexibility, real and
effective flexibility will never come out of talks under pressure."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini said
in Tehran on October 18 that the EU foreign ministers' statement
announcing Europe's decision to back sanctions is unrealistic,
and any move to undermine the "effectiveness" of "responsible bodies"
like the IAEA would hamper the resolution of the dispute, IRNA
reported. He said Iran will defend its rights using "legal and
political channels," and has no doubt it is on the "right path" and
has an "evident right to utilize nuclear energy for peaceful
purposes."
Separately, the head of the parliament's National
Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Alaedin Borujerdi, told ISNA
on October 18 that the EU statement and Iran's comparison with
"other countries" is "unacceptable and unjust," and shows Europe is
"submitting" to "political pressure" by the United States. He said
Iran is presently ready for more talks on its dossier, but if this is
"taken toward sanctions," inspections of Iranian installations by
IAEA inspectors "will no longer be a possibility," ISNA reported.
(Vahid Sepehri)
'JERUSALEM DAY' COMMEMORATED IN IRAN. People across Iran
participated in Qods (Jerusalem) Day rallies on October 20, news
agencies reported. The previous day, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad
said in the Tehran Province town of Islamshahr that "the existence of
the Quds-occupying regime" is the biggest problem facing mankind,
state television reported. "It is a bogus regime.... It is the root
of discrimination, oppression, and bullying in the world." He added
"We have said repeatedly and our nation has said repeatedly that this
regime is illegitimate in its very foundation; it is forged, it has
been imposed on nations of the region and it cannot survive." After
ranting in this vein and then flinging accusations at the United
States for its support of Israel, Ahmadinejad turned to the nuclear
issue and said Iran will not forsake its perceived rights. (Bill
Samii)
IRAN INVESTS HEAVILY IN LEBANESE RECONSTRUCTION. Hesam Khoshnevis,
who heads an Iranian delegation to Lebanon, announced in Beirut on
October 13 that Iran will build 60 schools in the southern suburbs of
Beirut and another 40 in the Bekaa Valley, IRNA reported. Those are
two areas predominantly inhabited by Shi'ite Muslims and
controlled by Hizballah. Khoshnevis added that Iran will equip the
schools. Khoshnevis went on to say that five hospitals in southern
Beirut, four in the Bekaa, and 10 more in the south are being built
by Iran. Iran is rebuilding mosques, Husseiniehs (Shi'ite
religious centers), and other religious structures in Beirut, the
Bekaa, and the south, as well as roads and bridges. The total cost,
Khoshnevis said, will be $35 million-$50 million.
In Tehran on October 13, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei discussed Lebanese affairs in his Friday Prayers sermon,
state radio reported. He said the United States suffered a defeat in
the July-August conflict between Israel and Hizballah. Khamenei said
the conflict teaches a lesson: "Nations have once again seen and
experienced that the path of victory and liberation is only in
resistance against the bullies, the aggressors and the despots."
Retaliation for the alleged defeat in this conflict will include the
creation of ethnic strife, Khamenei warned. (Bill Samii)
BAKU POLICE DISPERSE ANTI-IRANIAN DEMONSTRATION. Azerbaijani police
forcibly dispersed on October 13 some 30 demonstrators near the
Iranian Embassy in Baku, Turan reported. The demonstration was
organized to protest Iran's "suppression of the cultural and
national rights" of ethnic Azeris and to campaign for Azeri-language
education for the Azeri minority in Iran. Police detained around 10
participants in the protest. Baku police broke up a similar
demonstration late last month in front of the Iranian embassy.
(Richard Giragosian)
NORWEGIAN COMPANY AGREES TO PAY FINE FOR BRIBING IRANIAN. The
Norwegian oil company Statoil announced on October 13 that it will
pay a $21 million fine for violating the U.S. Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act after it bribed an Iranian official and failed to
properly account for the payment in its bookkeeping, Radio Farda
reported. The statement acknowledged payment of bribes to an Iranian
official in 2002 and 2003 so he would help the company win contracts
for the development of three phases of the South Pars gas field.
Statoil will pay fines of $10.5 million to the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission and $10.5 million to the U.S. Justice Department,
but $3 million in fines paid to the Norwegian government will be
subtracted from the total.
The case relates to Statoil's $15.2 million deal with
Horton Investments, a London-based consulting company associated with
Mehdi Hashemi, the managing director of the Organization for
Optimization of Energy Consumption, which is a subsidiary of the
National Iranian Oil Company. Hashemi is the son of former Iranian
President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani (see "RFE/RL Iran Report,"
September 22 and 29, October 6, 13, and 27, and November 10, 2003,
and 5 July 2004). (Bill Samii)
****************************************** ***************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
The "RFE/RL Iran Report" is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
Newsline, and other news services. It is distributed every Monday.
Direct comments to A. William Samii at [email protected].
For information on reprints, see:
http://www.rferl.org/about/content/request.as p
Back issues are online at http://www.rferl.org/reports/iran-report/
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 39, 23 October 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
******************************************** ****************
HEADLINES:
* EXECUTIVE BRANCH SEEKS TO EXTEND CONTROL AS LOCAL ELECTIONS NEAR
* EARLY DISQUALIFICATIONS FROM ASSEMBLY OF EXPERTS RACE
* CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTIONS
* TEHRAN GETS NEW POLICE CHIEF
* LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS CLOTHING
* HEALTH MINISTER SAYS TENS OF THOUSANDS MIGHT BE HIV-INFECTED
* NEW REFORMIST DAILY PUBLISHED...
* ...AND SUSPENDED AFTER GOVERNMENT WARNING
* STUDENTS PROTEST RESTRICTIONS
* RUNAWAY GIRLS A GROWING PROBLEM
* IRAN TOPS AGENDA AT ISRAEL-RUSSIA SUMMIT
* TEHRAN PREDICTS IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS
* 'JERUSALEM DAY' COMMEMORATED IN IRAN
* IRAN INVESTS HEAVILY IN LEBANESE RECONSTRUCTION
* BAKU POLICE DISPERSE ANTI-IRANIAN DEMONSTRATION
* NORWEGIAN COMPANY AGREES TO PAY FINE FOR BRIBING IRANIAN
****************************************** ******************
EXECUTIVE BRANCH SEEKS TO EXTEND CONTROL AS LOCAL ELECTIONS NEAR.
Iranian voters were enthusiastic about the country's first
local-council elections almost eight years ago, but lower voter
turnout in 2003 suggested waning interest. Disappointment arguably
has stemmed from unmet expectations as limited powers and access to
resources hampered the councils' work.
Recent steps by Iran's executive branch to control who
runs for the councils -- combined with previous efforts to further
curb their powers -- suggest that voter participation might continue
to fall despite their political significance.
Registration for prospective candidates for December's
third round of council elections began on October 16 and will
continue until October 22.
The races are not expected to attract the prominent names
associated with national races -- such as the legislature or the
Assembly of Experts. Nevertheless, some of those who have registered
have achieved a modicum of recognition, including Mujtaba Alai,
deputy head of the presidential protocol office, and Tehran police
chief Morteza Talai, reported by Baztab on October 17 and the Iranian
Students News Agency (ISNA) on October 9.
The Interior Ministry conducts all the country's
elections and, in most cases, it is the 12-member Guardians Council
that vets prospective candidates and has supervisory powers. But it
is the legislature that has supervisory and vetting powers in the
municipal-council elections. This has previously given candidates who
might be rejected on factional grounds a much better chance of
qualifying.
It became increasingly clear by late September, when the
Central Committee for Monitoring Council Elections began its
activities, that this firewall was crumbling. The central committee
comprised five fundamentalist legislators: Tehran's Hussein
Fadai, Islamabad-i Gharb's Heshmatollah Falahat-Pisheh,
Malekan's Salman Khodadadi, Karaj's Rashid Jalali-Jafari, and
Kerman's Mohammad Ali Movahedi. It selected 90 people from 27
provinces to monitor the elections, and nearly all of them were
fundamentalists.
The committee claimed that it consulted with parliamentarians
about their constituencies. But reformists said the choices were made
when the legislature was in recess, and they were ignored. One
lawmaker, Mohammad Reza Tabesh of Yazd Province, said he is the only
legislator from his province who is not on the provincial monitoring
committee, "Etemad-i Melli" reported on September 24.
Only three of the 90 were from the pro-reform faction. They
withdrew from the provincial monitoring committee a few days later,
objecting to what they feared would be a biased screening of
prospective candidates, "Etemad-i Melli" reported on September 26.
Limiting Local Autonomy
The municipal councils already have limited powers and
responsibilities. They deal with issues like construction permits,
garbage collection, and roadwork. The central government is
responsible for everything else -- such as education, electricity,
and the provision of water.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's administration tried to
reduce the powers even more through a new law on city and village
councils. Under the amended law, the councils would be subordinate to
the Interior Ministry and would require its approval before
performing many of their functions.
Councils also currently select mayors. But under the proposed
law, the Interior Ministry would essentially perform that function.
A member of the Tehran council, Hassan Bayadi, warned that
the objective of the new law is to eliminate the councils completely,
"Etemad" reported on May 23. Another legislator, Kazem Jalali, said
the provisions of the law would run counter to the constitution,
"Hambastegi" reported on June 1.
With roughly two months to go before the elections, it
appears that the law has been allowed to fade into the background.
Co-opting Provincial Institutions
President Ahmadinejad is doing other things that could weaken
existing provincial government institutions and create new ones that
are more closely connected to the executive branch. It is the
presidential administration -- through the Interior Ministry -- that
appoints provincial governors-general. On October 17, Ahmadinejad
issued a directive that linked every provincial office of the
Management and Planning Organization with the provincial
governor-general. The head of the Management and Planning
Organization, Farhad Rahbar, has objected to this development, and
the legislature declared its intention to review the plan for any
illegalities. If this measure is implemented, it will strengthen the
Interior Ministry's hold over provincial affairs.
Ahmadinejad's frequent trips to the provinces also serve
to undermine municipal councils and other local institutions. As his
staff collects citizens' written complaints and he deals with
their problems on a case-by-case basis, the president shows that he
can provide immediate relief and is a man of action. Already weakened
through legislation and without the financial resources of the
executive branch, the councils are stuck with the difficult task of
developing macro-policies that help entire communities, not just one
citizen.
A spokesman for the Executives of Construction Party, Hussein
Marashi, asked whether "the problems of our country [will] be solved
by turning the national government into a mobile provincial planning
council." He called that the administration's biggest
achievement. But Marashi added that Iran must be the only place in
the world where the central government takes on responsibilities that
normally fall under the purview of the provinces, "Etemad-i Melli"
reported on September 16.
Whence And Whither?
The concept of councils at the local level was enshrined in
the Iranian Constitution of 1979. But the first council elections did
not take place until 20 years later. Then-President Mohammad
Khatami's administration sought to decentralize the state
apparatus and increase public participation in political affairs and,
in general, it emphasized the significance of the councils.
Scholar Kian Tajbakhsh asserted at the August 2006 Conference
on Iranian Studies in London that the reformists viewed the councils
as civil-society organizations. But he noted that reformists did not
clarify their agenda, address legal ambiguities, distinguish
councils' responsibilities, or even place local institutions in
the broader context of an authoritarian state. Tajbakhsh said
"energy" for the local councils was closely connected with the wider,
national reform movement. When that movement faded, he argued, so did
local councils' momentum.
Public disillusionment with the councils appears to have led
to a sharp fall in voter turnout in 2003. The decline was most acute
in major cities like Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, and Tehran -- where
turnout was between 12 percent and 20 percent. At the same time,
reformists fared poorly in the big cities, although turnout in other
parts of the country was around 50 percent.
It would be reasonable to expect a continuing decline in
official turnout figures if people reacted unfavorably to
government-imposed restrictions. But three factors suggest it is too
early to make such a prediction. First, the government controls the
election process entirely, so outside observers will find it
difficult to detect fraud. Indeed, a number of prominent Iranians
remarked on the prevalence of fraud in the 2005 presidential
election.
Second, the holding of simultaneous elections -- for the
councils, the Assembly of Experts, and four parliamentary seats -- is
likely to increase overall turnout.
Finally, the government is basing its population estimates on
a 1996 census. The general manager of the Interior Ministry's
elections office, Ali Asqar Karandish, said that population changes
in big cities are far from clear, "Farhang-i Ashti" reported on
September 21.
Regardless of the final outcome, the Ahmadinejad
administration is likely to continue its effort to extend and
strengthen its control throughout the country. It has met some
resistance from the legislature -- even from conservative
parliamentarians -- but it has up to seven more years to keep trying.
(Bill Samii)
EARLY DISQUALIFICATIONS FROM ASSEMBLY OF EXPERTS RACE. Guardians
Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai announced on October 14 that
three people signed up twice as candidates for the Assembly of
Experts elections in mid-December, so the actual number of
prospective candidates is 492, state television reported. An initial
examination of credentials suggests that 60 people are in no way
educationally or professionally qualified to be candidates, Kadkhodai
added.
Individuals whose religious learning is questioned will have
the opportunity to take a written exam on October 27, and those who
pass the test will be invited for interviews, he said. Kadkhodai
explained that one need not be a cleric to stand in the election, as
long as the candidate attains the desired level of ijtihad (the
ability to interpret Islamic law).
Turning to the race itself, Kadkhodai said that campaigning
can begin once the names of candidates are published, and candidates
who are Friday prayer leaders cannot lead official congregations in
the two weeks immediately prior to the election date of December 15.
(Bill Samii)
CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTIONS. When registration
closed on October 13, 246 people had signed up as candidates in four
parliamentary by-elections in Iran slated for December 15, the
Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported on October 15. The
by-elections will be held for two seats in Tehran, one in the
southwestern city of Ahvaz, and one in the southeastern city of Bam.
(Bill Samii)
TEHRAN GETS NEW POLICE CHIEF. Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan has
been selected as the new police chief in Tehran, the Islamic Republic
News Agency (IRNA) reported on October 19, citing the daily "Seda-yi
Edalat." Radan served previously as a police chief in Khorasan Razavi
Province.
Radan succeeds Morteza Talai, who resigned recently. There
are conflicting reports about the resignation -- either he did so to
run as a candidate for upcoming local council elections or to protest
the violent arrest of a Tehran cleric and his supporters,
RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on October 16 (see "RFE/RL Iran
Report," October 16, 2006).
Fars news agency reported on October 9 that Talai resigned,
as required by the law, to become a candidate for municipal elections
in December. However, a letter cited by Radio Farda from a deputy
head of the Intelligence Ministry to the head of clerical affairs at
the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that was
reportedly published on October 15, states that Talai had threatened
to resign if the state acted against Ayatollah Hussein
Kazemeyni-Borujerdi, who differs with the regime over religious
affairs.
Separately, one of Kazemeyni-Borujerdi's followers, who
was arrested and then released on October 10, told Radio Farda on
October 16 that "we have no accurate reports of Mr. Borujerdi's
situation," though authorities have interrogated his supporters and
told them to shun the cleric. Muhaddaseh Saberi told Radio Farda that
"in the interrogations they presented Mr. Borujerdi as a corrupt
individual." (Bill Samii, Vahid Sepehri)
LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS CLOTHING. The Iranian legislature has begun
serious debate over a number of issues related to clothing, "Etemad"
reported on October 12. The topics range from a national dress code
to mandatory uniforms in the workplace to the protection of the
domestic clothing industry. "The parliament's view is that
fashion and clothing graduates and manufacturers and the private
sector should embark on the design and production of varied clothes
themselves with support from the government in the form of
subsidies," legislator Fatemeh Alia told "Etemad. This should be
based on the country's Islamic and ethnic identity, she added.
Alia said the presence of ethnic groups will contribute to diversity
and people can choose for themselves. Laleh Eftekhari, a
representative from Tehran, also stressed that homogeneity is not
being considered.
The legislature passed two articles of a bill relating to
fashion and clothing on October 10, "Jomhuri-yi Islami" reported the
next day. One article is aimed at discouraging people from adopting
foreign fashions that are incompatible with Iran's national and
Islamic culture and encouraging them to buy locally produced clothes
that are based on domestic patterns. Various ministries, state radio
and television, and designers and manufacturers' guilds will form
a committee to consider ways to accomplish that task. (Bill Samii)
HEALTH MINISTER SAYS TENS OF THOUSANDS MIGHT BE HIV-INFECTED. Kamran
Baqeri-Lankarani said in Tehran on October 15 that his ministry has
identified more than 13,000 Iranians as infected with HIV, the virus
that causes AIDS, but that the real figure for infections is likely
between 60,000-70,000 "in the worst-case scenario," IRNA reported. He
said AIDS is still a disease restricted to specific groups in the
country, but "if we do not act against it with care, it could become
a generalized disease." He said that even the highest estimate for
infections "is not so [high] compared to many neighboring countries."
He added that more state money is needed for HIV and flu-related
treatments in the country, amid the rising price of some
pharmaceutical products. (Vahid Sepehri)
NEW REFORMIST DAILY PUBLISHED... A new daily, "Ruzegar" (Times), was
published on October 16 and is seen as an unofficial successor to the
banned reformist daily "Sharq," which was closed on September 11,
Reuters and AFP reported. The daily's managing editor is Farzaneh
Kharqani, and members of the former "Sharq" staff are working on the
new daily, although they are "none of the well-known faces," Reuters
reported, citing Mohammad Atrianfar, a former member of the "Sharq"
policymaking board.
Separately, ILNA reported on October 16 that three
journalists were arrested "last week" at the offices of their
Kurdish-language weekly, "Rujheh Halat." It reported that agents with
a court order arrested Farhad Aminpur, Reza Alipur, and Saman
Suleimani, without specifying why they were arrested or where the
publication is based.
On October 17, Justice Minister Jamal Karimi-Rad assured ISNA
that the government is not trying to curb "critical" media but wants
them to observe the government's "conduct" and "generosity" and
"return to their true position and mission." He said unnamed domestic
media have been "unkind" to the Ahmadinejad government, and "some of
the opinions of government critics are baseless." (Vahid Sepehri)
....AND SUSPENDED AFTER GOVERNMENT WARNING. A new daily newspaper in
Iran has suspended its publication just three days into its print run
after the Islamic Culture and Guidance Ministry told it that it could
not cover political news. Many of the "Ruzgar" (Times) employees were
former contributors to a leading reformist daily, "Sharq," that
authorities shut down in September.
Officials' quick intervention has fueled suspicion that
they simply won't tolerate a moderate voice on Iranian
newsstands.
The ministry's warning came in a letter that said the
"Ruzgar" license does not include political coverage and thus
prohibits it from publishing political news.
In the face of that threat, its managers decided to suspend
publication after just three issues.
Iran's ILNA news agency excerpted the ministry's
letter on October 18 and reported that "Ruzgar" would begin appearing
without political coverage. But ILNA soon removed the story from its
website and said it should not be used.
A "Ruzgar" editor, Abdolreza Tajik, told AFP that the
decision to suspend publication was made after warnings to avoid
politics and to change the newspaper's format.
"Ruzgar" politics staffer Mohammad Atrianfar accused the
Culture Ministry of "tightening the noose [on] reformists." He said
that at least two other conservative papers with similar licenses,
"Hamshahri" and "Jam-i Jam," cover political events.Atrianfar headed
the policymaking committee of the now-defunct reformist daily
"Sharq," and he noted that authorities still have not announced legal
reasons for that newspaper's closure.
Beleaguered Existence
The "Ruzgar" launch had been characterized as the entry of a
moderate daily to a market that has witnessed many closures. More
than 100 reformist and moderate publications have been shut down by
Iranian authorities in recent years.
Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, a prominent journalist and former
editor of four banned dailies, is also a spokesman for the Society to
Defend Press Freedom. He tells RFE/RL that the targeting of "Ruzgar"
demonstrates that powerful conservatives will not tolerate criticism
or dissent.
"Our friends should have come to the conclusion by now that
[conservatives] are opposed to the intellectual current of
'Sharq' and 'Ruzgar' and not to their mastheads.
Conservatives are only satisfied with a single-voice media that is
led by the establishment, so they will fight any effort to bring
different voices to the media. One example is the fact that they
couldn't even tolerate the very moderate publications
'Sharq' and 'Ruzgar.'"
"Ruzgar" was launched as a 24-page color daily.
Representatives had insisted it was not meant to be a substitute for
"Sharq." But just weeks before its launch, a conservative daily
reported that "Sharq" was returning to publication under the new
title "Ruzgar."
Selective Enforcement
A moderate news website, roozna.ir, has cast doubt on the
ministry's claim, saying Iran's press law allows newspapers
with cultural and social content to publish two pages of political
news. Roozna.ir adds that "Ruzgar" appears to have been deprived of
that right.
Reza Moini is an Iran specialist with French media watchdog
Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He describes the Culture
Ministry's order against "Ruzgar" as an excuse to prevent
journalists from doing their work, and says it comes amid increasing
pressure on reporters.
"[On October 18] we said in a statement about three other
publications whose journalists have been harassed that the Islamic
republic uses all the possibilities and tools at its disposal to
prevent publications and journalists from expressing themselves
freely," Moini says. "[The "Ruzgar"] case is the same. The excuse
that the publication should not have political pages is really
laughable."
RSF notes that six journalists have been arrested in Iran in
recent weeks. It accuses Iranian authorities of shutting down media
that "do not defend the government's vision of the Islamic
revolution" and arresting journalists "without warrants and without
reason."
Chilling Stories
Moini tells RFE/RL that state pressure on journalists is
resulting in harassment and self-censorship.
"When they arrest a journalist and then put him under
interrogation and then free him on a heavy bail -- but he can be sent
back to prison at any time -- how can he work?" Moini asks. "There
isn't only self-censorship -- this is imposed censorship."
Iran's government denies that it censors the media and
says it welcomes criticism.
Officials have not yet reacted to the suspension of the
"Ruzgar" print run, and the daily's managers have not said
whether it will return.
The European Union roundly criticized Tehran as recently as
October 5 for closing newspapers and harassing journalists. (Golnaz
Esfandiari)
STUDENTS PROTEST RESTRICTIONS. Students from Tehran's Amir Kabir
University, formerly known as the Polytechnic, protested perceived
pressure on students and dissidents in Iran and the three-week
detention of Kayvan Ansari, a former member of the university's
Islamic Students Association, RFE/RL's Radio Farda and ISNA
reported on October 16 and 17. Protesters called for the release of
political and student prisoners, and the suspension of the Basij
association in the university, Radio Farda reported. Basijis are
members of a militia affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Corps.
A student identified only as Qaragozlu told ISNA on October
16 that "they may have damaged the buildings of the Islamic
association" of students, referring to unspecified agents, "and as
they say the...association has no headquarters; but if they want to
continue like this, we shall gather in the university and stop them.
This is the Polytechnic, and we will not let them do [whatever] they
like."
Former student Ahmad Batebi has returned to prison after a
short leave, his father told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on October 17,
adding that his son is unwell and "wasting away" in prison. Batebi
was jailed for participating in 1999 student demonstrations in
Tehran. His father said rights groups have done nothing to win his
release, and the judiciary has told the family that Batebi must
remain in prison for 15 years. "Our lives have been destroyed and my
son is wasting away...we are stuck in a place where nobody...is
accountable," he said.
Separately, a court in Zanjan, northwestern Iran, sentenced
former student Reza Abbasi to a year's imprisonment for allegedly
insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Radio Farda reported
on October 17. Activist Abdullah Momeni told the broadcaster that
Abbasi has been detained since late June on a temporary arrest
warrant for taking part in demonstrations by Iranian Azeri-speakers
(see "RFE/RL Iran Report," May 29, 2006). A
Tehran court has also fined former Yazd University student
Mohammad Reza Rahimi for insulting state officials and ordered that
he be given 30 lashes for insulting a Yazd University security guard
when he was a student there, ISNA reported on October 17.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on October 19 called on the Iranian
government to immediately cease restricting student activists'
attendance at universities, hrw.org reported. In a report titled
"Denying the Right to Education," HRW noted that the government has
barred 12 students, and that another 54 were allowed to resume going
to school only after pledging not to engage in political activities.
HRW asserted that the Ministry of Intelligence and Security is behind
the campaign, and in the last year the judiciary has given more than
20 students prison sentences. Another 32 students have been suspended
by their universities, and 10 student associations have been banned
or suspended.
As the repression of student activists continues, Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with top-grade students in Tehran
on October 17. He told them that while restlessness is a part of
student life, "politicization" is "not approved" among student
formations, ISNA reported. "Politicization and political games are
not approved, but an inclination for politics and to win the power of
political understanding and analysis is a...necessity among students
and universities," he said. He urged student formations "relying on
Islam and Islamic teachings" not to "weaken" each other.
Clearly, he said, "the enemy is investing on some student
currents, and America and Israel's espionage services are even
ready to help student formations affiliated with the masses and
left-wing currents, whose presence is now meaningless with the
collapse" of communist states. Western enemies, he said, are trying
"by all possible means and under various names like royalists and
others" to harm "genuine student currents," ISNA reported. (Vahid
Sepehri, Bill Samii)
RUNAWAY GIRLS A GROWING PROBLEM. Iranian newspapers have carried an
increasing number of reports about runaway girls over the last few
years, Radio Farda reported on October 19, and female police officers
are tasked with dealing with these girls in the environs of the
shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad. Many of the girls sleep in the open,
Radio Farda reported, and some have taken to prostitution. It was
reported that some girls as young as 9 years old have been found as
runaways. (Bill Samii)
IRAN TOPS AGENDA AT ISRAEL-RUSSIA SUMMIT. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran and a
variety of issues related to the Middle East on October 18,
international media reported. Olmert said that heading the agenda was
"everything connected to the Iranian problem, which bothers
everyone." He hailed Putin and recalled the promise Putin made last
year that Russia's relations in the Middle East will no longer be
one-sided. For his part, Putin said the relations between the two
countries are based on mutual trust. He added that "in recent years,
relations between the Russian Federation and Israel have acquired an
entirely new quality.... We have fundamentally changed our attitude
to our compatriots -- we think of them as our compatriots -- who
moved to Israel for permanent residence from Russia and the former
republics of the Soviet Union."
Olmert's hosts also included Defense Minister Sergei
Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said that Iran poses
no immediate threat. Israel is pushing for sanctions against Iran
over Tehran's nuclear programs while Russia opposes the move.
Olmert argued that "if the leader of such a country as Iran openly
states that he wants to destroy our country, we have no choice but to
prepare for a response." For his part, Putin said that "the situation
requires all parties to show responsibility and restraint. Only a
just and comprehensive settlement accepted by all peoples in the
region can be reliable and long-lasting."
Foreign Minister Lavrov said in Moscow on October 18 that "it
is necessary [for the international community] to act on Iran, but
that action should be in direct proportion to what is really
happening," RIA-Novosti reported. He added that "what is really
happening is what the IAEA reports to us. And the IAEA is not
reporting to us about the presence there of a threat to peace and
security."
Elsewhere, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak told
Interfax that Russia's position in the UN Security Council on
Iran will not be influenced by the U.S. sanctions against
Russia's main arms exporter, Rosoboroneksport, and the aircraft
manufacturer Sukhoi. He said that "these are two separate, serious
issues. We will tackle them separately." His remarks appeared to
contradict somewhat recent statements by Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly
Churkin linking the two issues. (Patrick Moore)
TEHRAN PREDICTS IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS. Expediency Council Secretary
Mohsen Rezai said in Tehran on October 16 that he considers the
imposition of "mild" sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program
"not unlikely" in the coming weeks, ISNA reported. But he added that
China, Russia, and "even Western states" might not enforce them. He
said the permanent members of the Security Council and Germany are
agreed on "some form of mild sanctions...like those approved for
North Korea, which does not include an oil embargo or foreign
exchange revenues." Sanctions, he said, would be "symbolic" and aimed
at maintaining U.S. prestige, since Iran has effectively pushed the
United States to a "dead-end" with its resistance. "I think
[sanctions] will not be successful," Rezai said, adding that they
would likely last but a few months. "A hesitant resolution will be
issued imposing sanctions...on the one hand, and insisting on the
continuation of talks on the other," ISNA reported. He said Iran has
withstood worse sanctions and would change its trading partners.
Kamal Daneshyar, the head of the parliament's Energy
Committee, said in the southwestern Ahvaz on October 16 that "oil
sanctions against Iran are like oil sanctions on consumer countries,"
ISNA reported. Iran would suffer, he admitted, but the sanctioning
countries "that are mostly consumer countries" would suffer "10 times
as much." He said if Iran's 2.5 million barrels of oil per day
are taken out of the global market, "it is true that Iran no longer
has oil revenues, but the price of oil will rise to $150 a barrel."
Iran, he said, could meet its own needs "through domestic production"
and would "guide society toward self-sufficiency."
EU foreign ministers met in Luxembourg on October 17 and were
reportedly ready to back the imposition of sanctions, described by
news agencies as mild and incremental, on Iran in response to its
refusal to end sensitive nuclear-fuel-making activities, Reuters
reported. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner
was quoted as saying that Iran must see that there is a united
international response to its contested program, although a Spanish
official said sanctions will be "gradual," as Iran remains an EU oil
supplier, Reuters reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on October 16
in Washington that the UN Security Council will "begin to work this
week on an Iran sanctions resolution," AFP reported. Rice said Iran
and North Korea are two countries "that violate their pledges to
respect the [Nuclear] Nonproliferation Treaty."
EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy
Javier Solana said in Luxembourg before the October 17 meeting that
the doors to talks with Iran remain open and there is "always hope"
that negotiations might resume, AFP reported.
EU foreign ministers stated in Luxemburg on October 17 that
they feel obliged to support incremental UN sanctions on Iran for its
refusal to curb its nuclear activities in line with Western demands,
agencies reported on October 17 and 18. Iran and the EU have been
talking for months as the EU has sought to persuade Iran to abandon
nuclear fuel-making activities -- which can also be used to make
nuclear bombs -- in return for economic incentives. In rejecting this
deal, Iran "leaves us no choice but to take the Security Council
route," Reuters quoted French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy
as saying. He proposed "gradual, reversible measures proportionate to
Iranian actions." EU officials have said they are not ruling out the
resumption of talks.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, immediately
reacted to the move and said the EU would lose, not Iran. Larijani
said in Tehran on October 18 that a UN Security Council resolution
against Iran would radicalize the situation and jeopardize Iranian
cooperation, Reuters reported. He said the "carrot-and-stick policy
is a failed policy." He told Mehr "if they want flexibility, real and
effective flexibility will never come out of talks under pressure."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini said
in Tehran on October 18 that the EU foreign ministers' statement
announcing Europe's decision to back sanctions is unrealistic,
and any move to undermine the "effectiveness" of "responsible bodies"
like the IAEA would hamper the resolution of the dispute, IRNA
reported. He said Iran will defend its rights using "legal and
political channels," and has no doubt it is on the "right path" and
has an "evident right to utilize nuclear energy for peaceful
purposes."
Separately, the head of the parliament's National
Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Alaedin Borujerdi, told ISNA
on October 18 that the EU statement and Iran's comparison with
"other countries" is "unacceptable and unjust," and shows Europe is
"submitting" to "political pressure" by the United States. He said
Iran is presently ready for more talks on its dossier, but if this is
"taken toward sanctions," inspections of Iranian installations by
IAEA inspectors "will no longer be a possibility," ISNA reported.
(Vahid Sepehri)
'JERUSALEM DAY' COMMEMORATED IN IRAN. People across Iran
participated in Qods (Jerusalem) Day rallies on October 20, news
agencies reported. The previous day, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad
said in the Tehran Province town of Islamshahr that "the existence of
the Quds-occupying regime" is the biggest problem facing mankind,
state television reported. "It is a bogus regime.... It is the root
of discrimination, oppression, and bullying in the world." He added
"We have said repeatedly and our nation has said repeatedly that this
regime is illegitimate in its very foundation; it is forged, it has
been imposed on nations of the region and it cannot survive." After
ranting in this vein and then flinging accusations at the United
States for its support of Israel, Ahmadinejad turned to the nuclear
issue and said Iran will not forsake its perceived rights. (Bill
Samii)
IRAN INVESTS HEAVILY IN LEBANESE RECONSTRUCTION. Hesam Khoshnevis,
who heads an Iranian delegation to Lebanon, announced in Beirut on
October 13 that Iran will build 60 schools in the southern suburbs of
Beirut and another 40 in the Bekaa Valley, IRNA reported. Those are
two areas predominantly inhabited by Shi'ite Muslims and
controlled by Hizballah. Khoshnevis added that Iran will equip the
schools. Khoshnevis went on to say that five hospitals in southern
Beirut, four in the Bekaa, and 10 more in the south are being built
by Iran. Iran is rebuilding mosques, Husseiniehs (Shi'ite
religious centers), and other religious structures in Beirut, the
Bekaa, and the south, as well as roads and bridges. The total cost,
Khoshnevis said, will be $35 million-$50 million.
In Tehran on October 13, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei discussed Lebanese affairs in his Friday Prayers sermon,
state radio reported. He said the United States suffered a defeat in
the July-August conflict between Israel and Hizballah. Khamenei said
the conflict teaches a lesson: "Nations have once again seen and
experienced that the path of victory and liberation is only in
resistance against the bullies, the aggressors and the despots."
Retaliation for the alleged defeat in this conflict will include the
creation of ethnic strife, Khamenei warned. (Bill Samii)
BAKU POLICE DISPERSE ANTI-IRANIAN DEMONSTRATION. Azerbaijani police
forcibly dispersed on October 13 some 30 demonstrators near the
Iranian Embassy in Baku, Turan reported. The demonstration was
organized to protest Iran's "suppression of the cultural and
national rights" of ethnic Azeris and to campaign for Azeri-language
education for the Azeri minority in Iran. Police detained around 10
participants in the protest. Baku police broke up a similar
demonstration late last month in front of the Iranian embassy.
(Richard Giragosian)
NORWEGIAN COMPANY AGREES TO PAY FINE FOR BRIBING IRANIAN. The
Norwegian oil company Statoil announced on October 13 that it will
pay a $21 million fine for violating the U.S. Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act after it bribed an Iranian official and failed to
properly account for the payment in its bookkeeping, Radio Farda
reported. The statement acknowledged payment of bribes to an Iranian
official in 2002 and 2003 so he would help the company win contracts
for the development of three phases of the South Pars gas field.
Statoil will pay fines of $10.5 million to the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission and $10.5 million to the U.S. Justice Department,
but $3 million in fines paid to the Norwegian government will be
subtracted from the total.
The case relates to Statoil's $15.2 million deal with
Horton Investments, a London-based consulting company associated with
Mehdi Hashemi, the managing director of the Organization for
Optimization of Energy Consumption, which is a subsidiary of the
National Iranian Oil Company. Hashemi is the son of former Iranian
President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani (see "RFE/RL Iran Report,"
September 22 and 29, October 6, 13, and 27, and November 10, 2003,
and 5 July 2004). (Bill Samii)
****************************************** ***************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
The "RFE/RL Iran Report" is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
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Direct comments to A. William Samii at [email protected].
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